(CNN)–Hundreds of protesters gathered this weekend in Maiden, North Carolina, to voice their displeasure with a pastor's statement that gays and lesbians should be rounded up behind electric fences.

Sheriff Coy Reid estimated between 1,500 and 2,000 protestors came to the Catawba County Justice Center for a peaceful protest on Sunday. He said only two citations for noise violations were issued and there were no arrests.

The protest was organized by the Catawba Valley Citizens Against Hate in response to a Mother's Day sermon by Pastor Charles Worley at Providence Road Baptist Church in Maiden.

"I figured a way out, a way to get rid of all the lesbians and queers, but I couldn't get it past the Congress," Worley said to his congregation on May 13. A video of his comments went viral on YouTube.

"Build a great big, large fence - 50 or 100 miles long - and put all the lesbians in there," Worley said. "Fly over and drop some food. Do the same thing with the queers and the homosexuals, and have that fence electrified so they can't get out. Feed them. And you know in a few years, they'll die out. You know why? They can't reproduce."

Protestors chanted, "Love not hate," as the lined the road outside the Justice Center, which is 12 miles from thechurch.

Organizers of the protest said they wanted to counter what they called the pastor's hateful words with love and stressed prior to the event that "our Peace Keepers will respond quickly and vigorously to any behavior that detracts from the peaceful, non-violent plans of this event."

On Friday night, vandals targeted the Providence Road Baptist Church, Lt. Daryl McCarty of the Catawba County Sheriff's office told CNN. "It appears that someone tried to set the air conditioning unit on fire in retaliation about his remarks against homosexuals and lesbians from the pulpit."

McCarty said there was "no extensive damage or anything. The incident appears to have happened on Friday night. It wasn't a big enough fire. It only burned the cover off of some wires."

An electric company easily repaired the damage Saturday, according to McCarty.

Sheriff Reid said trash was lit under the air conditioning unit to start the fire. The unit is up against a brick wall and he said it did not seem like the vandals were attempting to burn down the building, saying, "It appeared they were trying to disrupt the service."

The local fire marshal and a sheriff's deputy are investigating the fire further, Reid said.

He also noted that Worley had received death threats after his comments and his department was actively following up on them.

Repeated calls by CNN to the church and to the pastor's home for comment have not been returned. When Worley was approached outside his home on Sunday by CNN's Gary Tuchman and asked whether he would take back any of his comments, the pastor declined to comment.

The church's website has also been down, but it had described the house of worship as independent and fundamentalist. It represents a Baptist tradition self-described as "old-time religion" and the website said church members consider the 1611 King James Version of the Bible to be the "inerrant Word of God."

The church appears to be unconnected with any broader denomination. The Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Baptist group, noted the Providence Road Baptist in Maiden is not affiliated with its 16-million member denomination and condemned the pastor's comments.

Last week in Maiden, members of the church vigorously defended their pastor, who has been at the church for more than two decades.

Some church members, who declined to give their names, said his words had been taken out of context. "He said he would feed them!" some church members told CNN, referring to the Worley's idea for rounding up gays.
Worley "takes a real firm stand on the Bible and what it says about different things," said church member Joe Heffner. "Whether I like it or not or whether anybody else likes it."

Another church member, who declined to give his name, said that "being gay and lesbian or homosexual is wrong according to the Bible. ... It's Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve."

The sheriff said his deputies will be paying extra attention to the church building in the wake of the vandalism and threats. The church has about 300 members, he said.

Reid, who has been with the sheriff's department since 1979, said the area had never seen anything quite like this.
"We hope it's over," he said. "The protestors have had their say now, so we're hoping it all dies down."

soundoff(1,365 Responses)

Leo

I find it interesting that we can see a BMW and we clearly understand that it was created and engineered, yet many look at life and come to the conclussion that it happened without any intelligence behind it.

Take a good look at some animation from Harvard. The engineering is awsome and this single white blood cell is working in harmony with the other 100 trillion cells that started as a single fertilized egg.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wJyUtbn0O5Y&w=640&h=390]

May 28, 2012 at 5:55 pm |

Drew

I think most people, if pressed, could concede the possibility of a creator. There is nothing however, that makes a christian god anymore likely than any other

May 28, 2012 at 5:57 pm |

Rick James

What a poor analogy. Does a tree have a creator, or does it grow based on its environment? And since you believe in the fallacy known as "Intelligent" Design, who created God? Or was he always there?

May 28, 2012 at 5:58 pm |

DSI

Why doesn't the source of infinite wisdom explain cellular biology, electromagnetics, or even elementary physics? It was divinely inspired so presumably that source of wisdom is quite aware of the laws governing the natural world.

May 28, 2012 at 6:01 pm |

DSI

I learned nothing about cellular biology when I got my engineering degree nor have I seen any connection in the 35 years since. What's the connection between engineering and cellular biology. Please explain it to me in engineering terms as I'm not very familiar with cellular biology

May 28, 2012 at 6:06 pm |

One one

So if life was created by an all powerful and PERFECT creator, why do all of our bodies eventually become diseased and we die ? Same goes for every other organism on the planet. Cancer does not seem like a very intelligent design.

May 28, 2012 at 6:08 pm |

LiberaLIowan

Drew
I think most people, if pressed, could concede the possibility of a creator. There is nothing however, that makes a christian god anymore likely than any other
----------------------------------------
Don't presume to speak for me. I do NOT concede the possibility of a creator.

May 28, 2012 at 6:10 pm |

Drew

I didn't claim to speak for you, I just think most people could acknowledge the possibility

May 28, 2012 at 6:13 pm |

DSI

If my designs were as flawed as humans, my boss would fire me.

May 28, 2012 at 6:13 pm |

Answer

Intelligent? Design? That's so funny.

Look up 'Dover Trial' and you'll see how 'intelligent' these IDiots really are. Can't even do a proper copy and replace job to hide their 'creation' spin. What a bunch of morons.

May 28, 2012 at 6:16 pm |

Leo

Drew at least was honest. Here is what the Bible has to say about this.

Romans 1

19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. 20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. 21 For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations.....

May 28, 2012 at 6:27 pm |

Drew

Leo, don't misread me. The idea that there is some form of greater intelligence in the universe is conceivable. The idea that an ancient book written and compiled and translated and edited by men is the unalterable word of god is ABSURD

May 28, 2012 at 6:28 pm |

DB

@Leo – great find, thanks for sharing.

@Drew – thanks for your honesty. Even if you’re not ready to acknowledge the Christian God, your willingness to acknowledge an intelligent creator is a major step. It at least gives us some grounds on which we could have a real conversation.

@Rick James – your question “who created God?” is an unintelligible question. It’s like asking “who is the bachelor’s wife?”

@DSI – the Bible is not a science book.

@One one – That designed things eventually decay makes them no less designed. This iMac I’m currently using is a marvelous piece of machinery, and very well designed, but I do not expect it to last forever.

@LiberaLIowan – on what rational grounds are you unwilling to concede a creator?

May 28, 2012 at 7:12 pm |

One one

We don't need fewer pastor Worleys, we need more. I would like to see him on prime TV every night spewing out more rants just like this one. Then everyone could get a good look at what a "Christian" nation could really be like.

May 28, 2012 at 5:46 pm |

grumpymedic

Amen to THAT! Bring it on! Let's keep the kookies coming out of the woodwork for all to see.

May 28, 2012 at 5:50 pm |

DSI

I wonder how many would get out of the religion business if they had to choose between abject poverty and "delivering the message of god". Something tells me that if it weren't so profitable, most would stay away.

May 28, 2012 at 5:45 pm |

Evangelical

That's an awfully cynical comment.

May 28, 2012 at 5:49 pm |

Drew

Cynical yes, but also quite probable

May 28, 2012 at 5:51 pm |

Robairdo

A very accurate answer.

May 28, 2012 at 5:52 pm |

grumpymedic

Cynical, but mostly likely correct. I say we experiment: remove the tax-exempt status from any of these well-to-do churches and let's see how quickly they fold up their tents and move on to some other scheme or place.

May 28, 2012 at 5:52 pm |

DSI

We can only dream grumpymedic. They've got their claws so far into us that they seem impossible to extract.

May 28, 2012 at 5:58 pm |

TruthPrevails :-)

I have to agree DSI. My friends father is a minister and is building his third house...the man went from college to the church.

May 28, 2012 at 6:02 pm |

One one

Televangelist aren't in it for the money, they love you and want to save your soul. All those cathedrals, basilicas, and the Vatican, the RCC was able to acquire them because they are very thrifty. 🙂

May 28, 2012 at 6:02 pm |

grumpymedic

@ DSI: Like ticks?

May 28, 2012 at 6:02 pm |

DSI

I was thinking more like eagle talons but ticks might be a more apt metaphor

May 28, 2012 at 6:09 pm |

grumpymedic

I WAS going to say "leeches" but even THEY have medicinal and healing value.

May 28, 2012 at 6:14 pm |

DSI

I suspect leeches would be offended by the comparison.

May 28, 2012 at 6:16 pm |

grumpymedic

ROFLMAO!! True...

May 28, 2012 at 6:20 pm |

Colin

Actually, your theory that I must have had soemthing terrible happen to me to be an atheist is wrong. I was brought up a Catholic, but after repeatedly seeing pretty fundamental holes in the belief and never being given a satisfactory answer, I ended up an atheist. Here are some of my issues that caused me to stop believing

1. At its most fundamental level, Christianity requires a belief that an all-knowing, all-powerful, immortal being created the entire Universe and its billions of galaxies 13,720,000,000 years ago (the age of the Universe) sat back and waited 10,000,000,000 years for the Earth to form, then waited another 3,720,000,000 years for human beings to gradually evolve, then, at some point gave them eternal life and sent its son to Earth to talk about sheep and goats in the Middle East.

While here, this divine visitor exhibits no knowledge of ANYTHING outside of the Iron Age Middle East, including the other continents, 99% of the human race, and the aforementioned galaxies.

Either that, or it all started 6,000 years ago with one man, one woman and a talking snake. Either way “oh come on” just doesn’t quite capture it.

2. This ‘all loving’ god spends his time running the Universe and spying on the approximately 7 billion human beings on planet Earth 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He even reads their minds (or “hears their prayers”, if you see any difference) using some kind of magic telepathic powers. He also keeps his telepathic eye on them when they are not praying, so as to know if they think bad thoughts (such as coveting their neighbor) so he knows whether to reward or punish them after they die.

3. Having withheld any evidence of his existence, this god will then punish those who doubt him with an eternity burning in hell. I don’t have to kill, I don’t have to steal, I don’t even have to litter. All I have to do is harbor an honest, reasonable and rational disbelieve in the Christian god and he will inflict a grotesque penalty on me a billion times worse than the death penalty – and he loves me.

4. The above beliefs are based on nothing more than a collection of Bronze and Iron Age Middle Eastern mythology, much of it discredited, that was cobbled together into a book called the “Bible” by people we know virtually nothing about, before the Dark Ages.

5. The stories of Christianity are not even original. They are borrowed directly from earlier mythology from the Middle East. Genesis and Exodus, for example, are clearly based on earlier Babylonian myths such as The Epic of Gilgamesh, and the Jesus story itself is straight from the stories about Apollonius of Tyana, Ho.rus and Dionysus (including virgin birth, the three wise men, the star in the East, birth at the Winter solstice, a baptism by another prophet, turning water into wine, crucifixion and rising from the dead).

6. The Bible is also literally infested with contradictions, outdated morality, and open support for the most barbarous acts of cruelty – including, genocide, murder, slavery, r.ape and the complete subjugation of women. All of this is due to when and where it was written, the morality of the times and the motives of its authors and compilers. While this may be exculpatory from a literary point of view, it also screams out the fact that it is a pure product of man, bereft of any divine inspiration.

7. A rejection of the supernatural elements of Christianity does not require a rejection of its morality. Most atheists and secular humanists share a large amount of the morality taught today by mainstream Christianity. To the extent we reject Christian morality, it is where it is outdated or mean spirited – such as in the way it seeks to curtail freedoms or oppose the rights of $exual minorities. In most other respects, our basic moral outlook is indistinguishable from that of the liberal Christian – we just don’t need the mother of all carrots and sticks hanging over our head in order to act in a manner that we consider moral.

Falsely linking morality to a belief in the supernatural is a time-tested “three card trick” religion uses to stop its adherents from asking the hard questions. So is telling them it is “wrong to doubt.” This is probably why there is not one passage in the Bible in support of intelligence and healthy skepticism, but literally hundreds in support of blind acceptance and blatant gullibility.

8. We have no idea of who wrote the four Gospels, how credible or trustworthy they were, what ulterior motives they had (other than to promote their religion) or what they based their views on. We know that the traditional story of it being Matthew, Mark, Luke and John is almost certainly wrong. For example, the Gospel of Matthew includes a scene in which Jesus meets Matthew, recounted entirely in the third person!! Nevertheless, we are called upon to accept the most extraordinary claims by these unknown people, who wrote between 35 to 65 years after Christ died and do not even claim to have been witnesses. It is like taking the word of an unknown Branch Davidian about what happened to David Koresh at Waco – who wrote 35 years after the fact and wasn’t there.

9. When backed into a corner, Christianity admits it requires a “leap of faith” to believe it. However, once one accepts that pure faith is a legitimate reason to believe in something (which it most certainly is not, any more than “faith” that pixies exist is) one has to accept all other gods based on exactly the same reasoning. One cannot be a Christian based on the “leap of faith” – and then turn around and say those who believe in, for example, the Hindu gods, based on the same leap, got it wrong. In a dark room without features, any guess by a blind man at the direction of the door is as valid as the other 359 degrees.

Geography and birthplace dictates what god(s) one believes in. Every culture that has ever existed has had its own gods and they all seem to favor that particular culture, its hopes, dreams, and prejudices. Do you think they all exist? If not, why only yours?

Faith is not belief in a god. It is a mere hope for a god, a wish for a god, no more substantial than the hope for a good future and no more universal than the language you speak or the baseball team you support.

So, the next time you confidently declare that there must be something wrong with a person to be an atheist, perhaps you might like to consider some of the above.

May 28, 2012 at 5:41 pm |

LiberaLIowan

I wasn't listening. Do you mind repeating yourself?

May 28, 2012 at 5:49 pm |

Kill The Wabbit

Colin, you just hit the ball out of the park.
Home run my friend.

May 28, 2012 at 6:03 pm |

DSI

I will be happy to give up my charitable contribution deduction if these hate mongers will give up their tax exempt status. Why should I have a heavier tax burden than anyone else simply because I have a different set of beliefs. In lieu of that, I'd like to pay the same taxes as those organizations I disagree with.

May 28, 2012 at 5:41 pm |

Edwardo

I make sure I sin every day. That way, I make sure he didn't die for nothing.

May 28, 2012 at 5:37 pm |

LiberaLIowan

Keep up the good works.

May 28, 2012 at 5:39 pm |

grumpymedic

I lower the bar as often as I can so I can make sure I'll get over it every time.

May 28, 2012 at 5:54 pm |

See Forever Eye

I used to go to church so i could feel better about my sins.
I stopped going to church, and i still feel better about my sins.
And my wallet is a little fatter.

May 28, 2012 at 6:05 pm |

grumpymedic

"God loves everybody. Just so long as they believe in MY god."

May 28, 2012 at 5:34 pm |

just sayin

You have no God. Seek and you will find. God bless

May 28, 2012 at 5:36 pm |

grumpymedic

My, you're absolutely, 100% correct: I have no God. Don't need one, either. Doing rather well without the need for a god of any kind, thank you. I lead a good life, volunteering in my community to help the poor, I donate to just about everything, INCLUDING CHURCHES who help the poor, I don't say mean things to people, I leave people alone and let them live their lives in peace, I have never been in trouble with the law, I'm straight and married to a wonderful woman with two kids, all of us have gone to college and served in the military. Yep. No god, thank God.

May 28, 2012 at 5:40 pm |

Prayer changes things

God touches himself when I p.oop. How do I stop him? Why does he watch me po.op?

May 28, 2012 at 5:33 pm |

bringoutyourdead

The demons response to love is filth.

May 28, 2012 at 5:37 pm |

LiberaLIowan

Put up a lead shield. No promises, but it might help.

May 28, 2012 at 5:41 pm |

grumpymedic

Your god wonders why you didn't take immodium.

May 28, 2012 at 5:42 pm |

Grog Says

Grog warn you about brown acid.
You did not listen.

May 28, 2012 at 6:07 pm |

Drew

If this had been said in Canada the guy could have been arrested for hate speech. I kind of wish that were possible here

May 28, 2012 at 5:33 pm |

Robairdo

how about all us blue states secede join up with Canada and the remaining mostly southern states can have their old Na zi Confederacy back.

May 28, 2012 at 5:36 pm |

grumpymedic

I say we all chip in and get Pastor Worley a one-way plane ticket to Ottowa.

May 28, 2012 at 5:36 pm |

Drew

That would be cool with me; the South wouldn't last a day on their own either, but at least they'd stop dragging the rest of us down to their level

May 28, 2012 at 5:37 pm |

LiberaLIowan

Robairdo
how about all us blue states secede join up with Canada and the remaining mostly southern states can have their old Na zi Confederacy back.
---------------------------
One of the better ideas I have heard in a while.

May 28, 2012 at 5:42 pm |

Robairdo

Yep, Canada has a strong currency, economy and secular government. Why do we have to put up with all these Southern hillbillies anyway. Let them go have their Na Zi Confederacy.

May 28, 2012 at 6:02 pm |

TruthPrevails :-)

Yes Drew, thankfully we have excellent hate crime laws here. I'm not saying bigotry doesn't exist because it most certainly does, however, this kind of thing would never have been tolerated. This kind of thing in the wrong hands can be fatal and this idiot pastor didn't seem to think about that.

May 28, 2012 at 6:07 pm |

Sockness Monster

Drew,
The Fundies said that Canada was going to hell.
You still here ?
How could they be wrong ?
You havent burned up in some fiery lake ?

Greetings from Massachussetts.

May 28, 2012 at 6:10 pm |

TruthPrevails :-)

@grumpymedic: Nooooooooo, my daughter goes to college in Ottawa...I don't want those delusions anywhere near her. Look up James Bay...you can only get there by boat (or floater plane)...put this idiot there and drop him food once a month.

Robairdo, ""Separate but equal is inherently unequal. First we demand civil marriage as it is a civil right
Second we don't care about your churches there are already over 1000 churches that will marry us.

The separation of church and state is for the good of all concernments and should not be alignned but ever apart of and from unity! Let the sodomites and lesbains get their civil unionizationns and your "1000 churches" are not Christian enough in their wantonliness to marru what is Biblically frowned upon! As was in the days of Noah, so shall it be come times' end, when all will be found judged by their own words and deeds! Go then and walk placidly amidst the noise and much waste while always remembering the pieces one finds of peacefulness thereof and about!

May 28, 2012 at 5:24 pm |

Robairdo

Our 1000 Churches are more Christian

It is important to understand that Christ did away with the Old Testament with the exception of the ten commandments which he recited in his own words as the the requirement for eternal life. This is in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is important to note that the new testament is made up of the Gospel & Covenant of Jesus Christ, which is all those things Christ did and said prior to his crucification. The later part of the new testament is the "claimed" writings of his apostles, I say claimed because not all have been verified to this day.

The really important thing to remember is that the Covenant or new law that applies to Jew & Gentile alike is exclusively from the Gospel of Jesus Christ, again all those things Christ did and said before his Crucification. And the really important thing here is that Christ NEVER said anything about hom ose xua1ity and many believe he actually approved of it in the story of the Centurion and his "Servant". This is because pagan Centurions often kept live in male "servants" This servants handled all of the centurions needs, you get the drift. The centurion loved his servant and begged Christ to save his life all along saying in an ashamed way that he is not worthy and is a sinner. Christ answered to him that his faith is stronger then anyones in Israel and went forth and saved his servant. A very odd thing for a Jew "Christ" to say to a pagan, yet he did say it.

May 28, 2012 at 5:31 pm |

Robairdo

The courts have already ruled that separate but equal is inherently unequal.

So you are a proven liar...you (maybe not you exactly but your other alias Heavensent) tell people that all they have to do is ask him to come in to their lives and ask forgiveness but yet you tell grumpy that he/she has no-one to pray to! Hate to break it to you o'freak of nature, you have no-one to pray to either...we've said this before, your god is as real as Cinderella...pretty much a fairy tale.

Oh and before you come back as another one of your personalities and spew a line from the Canadian Anthem or spew your hatred for Canada...I'm still right. I love my country, so your stupid, childish attacks mean nothing!

May 28, 2012 at 6:21 pm |

7Pillars

TRUE CHRISTIANS DO NOT HATE. That is the single most fundamental tenet of being a Christain – this so-called Pastor is a fraud in that regard.

More than anything else in the world, Jesus first and foremost was against Hatred of any kind, was for kindness and forgiveness of even those who murdered him. I think Jesus would certainly DENOUNCE THIS PASTOR!

May 28, 2012 at 5:21 pm |

DSI

While the pastor obviously enjoys his right to free speech he uses that freedom to encourage others to deny freedom to others. He must subscribe to some sort of sickening, putrid, rotting source of wisdom.

May 28, 2012 at 5:20 pm |

LiberaLIowan

:^)

May 28, 2012 at 5:29 pm |

Ken

LOL

May 28, 2012 at 5:19 pm |

Christopher

Chris if ignorant people should not have access to the bible then no one would have access to it.

May 28, 2012 at 5:17 pm |

DSI

On the one hand you have hate speech and the defenders of hate. On the other hand you have protesters of hate speech and defenders of individual liberty. Just saying...

May 28, 2012 at 5:17 pm |

Mickey

This pastor has his rights to express free spach. However, as he has his rights so do I as well as all of the others that have commented on this' NEVER ARGUE WITH AN IDIOT, THEY WILL DRAG YOU DOWN TO THEIR LEVEL AND BEAT YOU WITH EXPERIENCE"

The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.